Many New Zealanders have been told to have grab bags ready to go, prepare emergency supplies and secure their properties as a powerful tropical cyclone heads toward the nation just two weeks after the country’s largest city of Auckland was pummeled by a severe summer storm.
(Bloomberg) — Many New Zealanders have been told to have grab bags ready to go, prepare emergency supplies and secure their properties as a powerful tropical cyclone heads toward the nation just two weeks after the country’s largest city of Auckland was pummeled by a severe summer storm.
Tropical Cyclone Gabrielle is forecast to lie just north of New Zealand by Sunday, bringing gale-force winds, storm surges and as much as 300 mm (12 inches) of rain to the top of the country, the MetService said Friday in Wellington. The weather system, currently located in the Coral Sea to the east of Australia, is expected to hit Auckland on Monday and Tuesday, before moving across the North Island.
“The government is taking this very seriously and is ready to respond to keep people safe and support impacted communities,” Emergency Management Minister Kieran McAnulty said. “We’re using the next few days to get ready, and with clear weather today and Saturday it’s a good time to make sure you and your family are prepared.”
The warning comes just two weeks after Auckland, home to 1.6 million people, was smashed by a storm that caused extensive damage due to widespread flooding and landslides. Four people died, hundreds of properties were damaged or destroyed, and thousands of travelers were left stranded after Auckland International Airport was forced to close.
The earlier storm has left the city particularly vulnerable to more rain due to already saturated soil, with officials warning that unstable trees may topple and low-lying areas may face inundation. People living in homes already assessed as at risk were advised to consider moving out, particularly if surrounding land was unstable.
Essential Supplies
Auckland Emergency Management is finalizing a number of civil defense centers and evacuation shelters for people and their pets, while the government and other agencies are telling people to prepare for worst. It is urging people to have three days of food and other essential supplies such as medications on hand.
Auckland Airport Chief Executive Officer Carrie Hurihanganui said every part of the airport system was hard at work ahead of the cyclone to make sure its people and operations were ready to manage the predicted weather. Air New Zealand has asked customers to delay non-urgent flights to or from affected northern areas.
The warnings are in stark contrasts to the Jan. 27 storm, the severity of which came as a surprise to many Aucklanders due to the lack of information ahead of the event. Officials, in particular Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown, have been criticized for being slow with communication about that storm and in declaring a state of emergency.
Brown yesterday extended the state of emergency in anticipation of next week’s deluge.
The impact of the approaching weather and the areas likely to be affected is highly dependent on the track of the cyclone, the MetService said, adding that there is “high confidence of significant heavy rainfall” over Northland and Auckland, which may extend to the Coromandel Peninsula and Gisborne on the East Coast.
The storm is the latest example of extreme weather events that have become increasingly common globally because of climate change and the third straight year of La Nina — something that’s only happened twice since 1950.
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